Automobile running-gear.



DE WITT 0. GOOKINGHAM & J. H. HEBTNBB.

AUTOMOBILE BURNING GEAR. lPlI-IOATIOI mm IOV. so, 1010.

1,007,645. Patented 001.31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

DE WITT C. GUGKINGHAM 6: J. H. HEB-THEE.

AUTOMOBILE RUNNING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED 110V. 30. 1910.

Patented 001. 31, 1911 3 BEETS-SHEET 2.

wmv 656.-

DB WITT G. COOKINGHAM & J. H. HER'I'NER.

AUTOMOBILE RUNNING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1910 Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

' s sums-sum a.

WITNESSES;

- eated 'to running like self-propelled fitms'wthecenstre with 7T ,1"; I Q. sen-sen OFQQ EV -AF R swi mer. 9F mw swi? AUTOMOBILE nuimmeaenna.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oca'sr; 1911.; i

Application filed November 30, 1910. Serial No. 594,981.

To alZw/wm it may concern Be it known that WGQIHQWITT C. COOK- INunAM and JOHN H. Hnn'rnnn, citizens of the United States, and residents of Clcveland,county of Quyahoga, and State of Ohio, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Automobile Running Gears, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which we have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish 1t from other inventions.

.,Our'present invention, relating as indigear for automobiles, or vehicles,- has more par-' ticular regard to improved means whereby the live rear axle in a shaft-driven automobil'eqnay be connected with the frame or "chassis .of the vehicle so as toallow' the springs full freedom of action and still provide adequately for the turning torque imparted to the casing inwhieh such axle is ioused.- It: will be understood, of course,

that the use of the improvements in question is not of necessit limited to the s cific type of vehicle ust referred to, ut may a so beemployed-onchain-driven vehicles, since thejcasing that houses the rear is subjected to' even a greater torque Where the brakes are applied to the wheels, th n it'is by the merereaction of the (litter ent ial, in. the case of a shaft-drivenvehicle. This same. braking torque, to be sure, is present'in the latter, where the brakes are applied in the same fashion, With a view to l-ttccomplishingthe ends indicated above, said invention, then, consists of the means heiiei'nafter fully'descrijbed and particularly piinte dput in th c a in's] ,jj'll a nrtgfied dran ings and' thegfollowing' Piiito i iiitlif tlrt tzifl hfi 3'1: i e l aw "ill fig:

short of such runn ng gear;

Referrin first of all to theform oficon struction siown in Fig, 1,, it may bomb served that the chassis l is shown in outline only and as of typical form; particularly. the manner in which it isjsupported upon the front axle 2, is a matter of Ito-concern G0 in this connection. lhe wheclsi moreover, are shown merely in outline; vy-hjie as to the motor 4, although thisis hereshovtfn n'sen electric motor suspended in ..conventi0nnl fashion from the under side of the chassis, itwill be understood that any, suitable type of motor and driving connections therefrom to the rear axle 5 may besubSL-ituted. In the present case, said rear axle'fisa'live axle, driven through a: differentials. (not shown) that is of the usual eonstnuctionandw housed in an enlargement 6 of the casin -7,

'Within which such axleis contained. 1h?

rear springs 8, the .manner of; mounting which is of present interest, are" seated jirpon the same casing 7, onlyone such;-sp1tinge,; ;gf course, appearing in each of. t: 19 363 611 1 views illustrating the diverse waysimwhieh such attachment may beefi'ected; whilestill. utilizing the principle ofi. the invention. This spring, however, is in each-case .aifirtl elliptic spring, which, aswis well knowmhas superior riding qualities to any otherspring of the same dimensions. and compaetness of structure. In such Fight, this spring-is s'ecurely clamped to the casing, Tthy-mea-ns sof;-' a seat 9 of usual bonstruc'eion,.=$aiteci0;c-the provision on its forward side ofawlflgwltl, that provides means for attaehin gitiheretfo one end of a strut 1nember.;.i1;r -t.-l1e:,-= hlrimofso rod or bar 11. This rod fiimifilli .i flifligtitlillifi as first; illustrated, is of the samc leng tljz l lifi y spring, and is attached at its -01}Wa,;;d-t8 ,1d by means 'ofa link :12 to". the iside-g mefilbdit-j ottthe chassis,- or at, some other suitablfg poi t fi t-sens Theztoriverdeend nf r at, Wei-fi ishers :is, assis ed, f: it some t po nted itttaehtnentf ct he intentisten will-- b ss ll hns nstraetndt n .emingths eiust:hslfshemn he mewmemmfi 14.9 swat ,ge'r. 13113 1 8. with by being thus attached to the bar 11, for the mid-point of the latter will have just;

t lt is are T ii'et'lllrdgfineifect, t the same axle the :spring is seated. There nag to rotate about its point 14 of ads solid as shown. By reason of ,liowev'er, and its connection with foi'ward 'endof the.s ring and the inertia of the latter in starting.

and"stopping. A 0 While the foregoing is the preferred constructiong inasmuch as it permits of the rigid attachment both of the low-er half of the sp'ring-to-its seat and of the upper, half thereof to the vehicle frame, under certainconditions met with in practice 1t 15 not e'asible or desirable to eintploy as long a bar 1 as: isnecessary in or er lto accompllsh result. Where, accordingly as 1lll1S rated in Fig' 2, it is-desired to shorten the thi'smay be readily done without varythe mode bf its attachment either to the front end of; the spring or to the. vehicle frame 12- and 13 being employed here- 'as before; Inasmuch as, however, the distu'ice between the point of attachment of the-hi'|.r to the frame and the point ofi its attachment to the front end of the sprihg, is less than the distance between such latter point and the axle, thespring will have a slight tendencyto rotate about its point 14; ofattaehment to the frame. Accordingly, such attachment is here made pivotal, as by. assing' a in throu h the plate that is crap eyed in camping t e leavesof the up per half of'the spring to ether. The mode of operation, however, 0 this form of our inventioxi is substantially the same as before, and, so far as' the taking ,upof any tormenal strain isconcerned, is equally efiipQ- .cient.] It is, furthermore, not necessary that I connection be at the points shown 1" and 2, viz. between the bar and fit frontfend of the spring, and the vehicle me, res ectively but i desired, the bar be directly plvotally attached to the out end'of the spring, 111 which event its rear endis connected with the sprin' seat bya-link 15 as shown in Fig. 3. wing to theinequalit of the two sections'of the dobar lyin' gen ei 'hersid'e of its point of attothe' front end of the spring, the lattet-arequires'to be h f "frame,Ias in the of the structure lustrated'in Fi .2. i is observation also Nngwf travel of its rear end,

. moreoyenbe' no tendency manifested t to the chassis, so that the latter pirotally attached to ture, the n modification consists in the pivoting of the front end of the bar directly to the frame, or'rather to a. bracket 16 de ending downwardly therefrom, instead 0 effecting such connection by means of link 12. In this case the linked connection between the front end of the spring and the bar is retained,

and in addition the 'rear-endnfi the bar is linked to the axle, ju Fig; 3. a

In Fig. 5, the bar 11 is shown as directly pivotally attached both to the frame of the vehicle and to the front end of the spring. Accordingly not only is a link 15 interposed in the connection between therear end of st ass-lif'the case of such bar and the axle, but also a link 17 in the connection between the upperhalf ofthe spring and the vehicle frame so as to provide for the necessary f'reedom of movement. t

Finally, in Fig. 6, the general arrangeg ient of the several parts is the same as in -1 reaii' end of bar 11 is extended a little far:

ther so that the link 15 may. be connectedwith a lug 21, projecting to the rear. of

spring seat 9, or just oppositely to the lug 10; mstead of a link 13 between the-bar 4, but with thls difference, vizz-the and the front end of-the spring, a pin 22 and slot 23 @are employed to connect these parts; and th front end of the bar is'attached to the rame through the medium of a universal 'oint 24 that takesthe place of the simple racket 16. It will be under:

stood that such a joint may be substituted at other points in this, as well as in each of that the "in andslot ty 'e" of connection in its mec lanical effects t e sameas the pre viously. described link, not only at the point are material advantages secured in the manner in which torque and :thrust are taken up as has already been explained; but also, an

of considerable'import-ance, is the fact that the housln ofthe-rear axle is preserved in receding forms of construc .the previously described structures; as also and claimed in aseparate cosubstantial horizontal alinement. throughout its whole length of movement as the spr ng is compressed and .again ex )anded. This condition is. exactly'preserve in the construction of Fig. 1, and to a substantial- ,de rec in each of the other forms shown,

an is a result that, so far as we are aware,

is obtained in no analogous construction a result of this fa- H loaded condition of the heretofore devised 19, gancl the spindle-section. E20 carried by the d-ijfieren tial' housing 6, are in substantial alinelnent, ,iusulring their most efllcicnt o erati-onand niziteria-lly lessening wear on'tl e ther uiodcs ofiapplying tlie p'i'ilidiPldbf our .i n.\ 'ention; niu.- v";. beemployed instead of the one explained, regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated bvany of the following claims or the'equivalent of such stated meaiis be employed. 1

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention r 1. In a vehicle. the combination of the vvehicle?;t'ra me;a wheel axle; a liousingfor such axle; an elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a member connected with said housing and with said frame at a point spaced from the point of attachment. of said spring to said frame, one end of said spring being also connected to said member.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housing for such axle; an elliptic'spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a rigid member connected with said'housing and with said frame, one end of said spring being connected to said member at a point intermediate of theends of the latter. 3. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housing for suchaxle; an elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a mcmbe'f having its ends pivotally connected with said housing and frame, respectively, one end of said spring being pivotally connected with said member at a pointintermediate between its ends.

.4. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housing for 'uch axle; an elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housinv: and a member connecting said housing with said frame,

one end of said spring being also connected :with said member, one of the connections between said member and said housing, frame and spring being a linked connection.

5. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle: a housing for such axle; a full elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing: and a memher connecting said housing with said frame, one end of said spring being also connected with said member, two of the connections between said member, housing, frame and sprin being linked connections.

'6. n a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housingfor such axle; a full elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a member pivotally connected at its one end to said housing and having a linked pivotal vehicle, tlge n'iotor spindle 18,;tlia til-its shaft" change being made as said frame upon sai substantially equal in length to Olle't'lhl of said spring-being also pivotallyl 't .ln a vehicle; the coniliination of the vehicle franie': a wheel 'axlega-lmustng for: such axleaa full ellipticf pringsupportingsaid frame upon said housingya memberdircctly pivotall connected at-oneend with said housing and liaving a linked pivotal connection at its bthcr end with said frame; and a link connecting'onc 0nd of said spring with said member.

8. 'ln :1 vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame: a wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a full elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a member, substantially equal in length to said spring, connecting said housing with said frame, one outlet said spring being connected with approximatelythe mid pointof said member.

9. In a vehicle. the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a full elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; and a member, substantially equal in length to said spring, connecting said housing with said frame, one end of said spring being connected with approximately the mid oint of said member, two of the connections etween said member, housing, frame and spring being linked connections.

10. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; .1 Wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a full el housln and a member substantially equal in l ength to said spring, connected at its one end to said housing and having a linked pivotal connection at its other end with said frame, one end of said spring being also pivotally connected with approximately the mid point of said member.

11. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a full elliptic spring supporting said frame upon said housing; a member, said spring, directly pivotally connected atone end with said housing and having a linked pivotal connection at its other end with said frame; and a link connecting one end of said spring with approximately the mid point of said member.

12. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a live wheel axlejj a housing for such axle; a motor suppo ted by said frame; a drive-shaft from sai" lnotor connected with said axle through differential gearing mounted in said casing; a. full elliptic spring sup orting said frame upon said housing; and a bar connecting said housing with said tame, the forward end of' said spring being also connected with said bar.

1 tie spring supporting.

connection nt 'it's other said with said frame, I

gearing mounted I gearing mounted in -for such axle; a motor supported by said frame; adriv'e-shaft from said motor connected with said axle through differential in said casing; a full elliptic spring 511' porting said frame upon said housing; an ed at its rear end to said ousi'ng and havin a linked pivotal connection at its front en with sai with said'bar. a

14. In a vehicle, the combination of the vehicle frame; a live wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a motor supported by sai frame; a drive-shaft" from'said motor consaid axle through difierehtial said casing; a full porting said frame upon a bar, substantially equal connecting said one end of said nected with elli tic spring su sai hous1ng;'an in length to said spring; housing with said frame,

' 15.' In' a vehicle, theoombination a bar ivotally eonnectgearing mounted v I elligtie spring supporting said frame 11 on length to said sprin directly pivot ou'sing and having a linked pivotal connection at its other end: with said frame; -and a link connecting one end of said spring with approximately the frame, the forward end of' saidspring being also pivotally connected s rin bein connected with a proximatel the m id poiit of said bar. P f th o 0 vehicle frame; a live wheel axle; a housing for such axle; a motor supported by said frame; a drive-shaft from said inotor connected with said axle through differential said casing; a

sai housing; a bar, substantially ua in nested with said mid point of said member.

Signed by us, this 26th day of November,

DE WITT C. COOKINGHAM. JOHN H. HERTNER, Attested by ANNA L. GILL, JNQ. F. 

